Oddly Beautiful, Weird, And Exotic Places That Tease The Imagination (Photos)

(N.Morgan) This is a collection of photos I’ve put together of some of the most intriguingly beautiful places Our Mother Earth has to offer. From the really odd, to out right bizarre. Cyber travel is one of the best, cheapest ways to see all the splendor of this planet. Sadly, some of these locations didn’t have any information about them or their history.

Cave hot tub – Santorini, Greece (Credit)

Santorini (Greek: Σαντορίνη, pronounced [sandoˈrini]), classically Thera /ˈθɪrə/, and officially Thira (Greek: Θήρα [ˈθira]), is an island in the southern Aegean Sea, about 200 km (120 mi) southeast from Greece‘s mainland. It is the largest island of a small, circular archipelago which bears the same name and is the remnant of a volcanic caldera. It forms the southernmost member of the Cyclades group of islands, with an area of approximately 73 km² (28 sq mi) and a 2011 census population of 15,550. The municipality of Santorini comprises the inhabited islands of Santorini and Therasia and the uninhabited islands of Nea Kameni, Palaia Kameni, Aspronisi, and Christiana. The total land area is 90.623 km² (34.990 sq mi). Santorini is part of the Thira regional unit.^[2]

Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, China (Credit)

In 1982 it was recognized as China’s first national forest park with an area of 4,810 ha (11,900 acres).^[1] Zhangjiajie National Forest Park is part of a much larger 397.5 km² (153.5 sq mi) Wulingyuan Scenic Area. In 1992, Wulingyuan was officially recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.^[2] It was then approved by the Ministry of Land and Resources as Zhangjiajie Sandstone Peak Forest National Geopark (3,600 km² (1,400 sq mi)) in 2001. In 2004, Zhangjiajie Geopark was listed as a UNESCO Global Geopark.

The most notable geographic features of the park are the pillar-like formations that are seen throughout the park. They are the result of many years of erosion. The weather is moist year round, and as a result, the foliage is very dense. Much of the erosion which forms these pillars are the result of expanding ice in the winter and the plants which grow on them. These formations are a distinct hallmark of Chinese landscape, and can be found in many ancient Chinese paintings.

This breaktaking view of Houses in Sichuan, China (Credit)

When I first saw this, It is so stunning, it looked like a painting! Lake Misurina, Italy (Credit)

Lake Misurina (Cadorino dialect: Lago de Meśorìna) is the greater natural lake of the Cadore and it is 1,754 m above sea level, fraction of Auronzo di Cadore (Belluno). The perimeter is 2.6 km long, while the depth is 5 m.

Near the lake there are about ten hotels with accommodation for around 500 people.

The particular climatic characteristics of the area around the lake, make particularly good air for those who have respiratory diseases. In fact, near the lake is the only center in Italy for the care of childhood asthma.

The lake was the theme of a famous song by Claudio Baglioni.

Besides the Lake Misurina is the theme of the theatrical representation of the Longane di Lozzo.

Lake Misurina is where the speed skating events were held during the 1956 Winter Olympics of Cortina d’Ampezzo – the last time Olympic speed skating events were held on natural ice. Misurina lies on the route of the Dolomites Gold Cup Race.

Here’s one in the USA Rainbow Falls in Watkins Glen State Park, New York  (Credit)

Watkins Glen State Park is located outside the village of Watkins Glen, New York, south of Seneca Lake in Schuyler County in the Finger Lakes region. The park’s lower part is near the village, while the upper part is open woodland. It was opened to the public in 1863 and was privately run as a tourist resort until 1906, when it was purchased by New York State. Since 1924, it has been managed by the Finger Lakes Region of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.^[1]

That water!! It looks like something out of a dream! Pelion Rocks, Crystal clear coastline in Greece (Credit)

Pelion or Pelium (Modern Greek: Πήλιο, Pílio; Ancient Greek/Katharevousa: Πήλιον. Pēlion) is a mountain at the southeastern part of Thessaly in central Greece, forming a hook-like peninsula between the Pagasetic Gulf and the Aegean Sea. Its highest summit, Pourianos Stavros, is 1,610 m amsl.^[1] The GR-38 runs in the southern portion of the peninsula and the GR-38A runs in the middle.

Yikes! Too scary for me! I don’t like heights! Kusma Gyadi Bridge, Nepal (Credit)

Announced at the beginning of 2008 and completed in early 2010, the huge Kushma-Gyadi catenary suspension footbridge is one of the world’s highest of its type. Crossing 384 feet (117 mtrs) above the Madi River, the trail bridge is also one of Nepal’s longest with a span of 1,128 feet (344 mtrs).

Paradise on Earth!  Autumn, Cypress Gardens, Florida (Credit)

Billed as Florida’s first commercial tourist theme park,^[1] Cypress Gardens opened on January 2, 1936 as a botanical garden planted by Dick Pope Sr. and his wife Julie. Over the years it became one of the biggest attractions in Florida, known for its water ski shows, gardens, and Southern Belles.^[2]

It became known as the “Water Ski Capital of the World” because it was the site of many of the sport’s landmark firsts and over 50 world records were broken there. During World War II, soldiers visited and waterskiing was introduced for their entertainment.^[2] Numerous movies were filmed at the park, including portions of This is Cinerama, the first feature filmed in the wide-screen format, and a string of Esther Williams films and TV specials in the 1950s and 1960s.^[3] In the 1950s the Southern Belles attraction was introduced, in which young women dressed in the crinolines reminiscent of the Antebellum South. During the American Civil War Centennial young men dressed in Confederate uniforms would be photographed with the Southern Belles. In the early 1960s a custom photography boat named Miss Cover Girl was introduced, and the park became a popular site for the filming of television commercials.

Many celebrities and dignitaries have skied and visited at the park, including Elvis Presley, King Hussein of Jordan and his son and successor, King Abdullah II. It was also the site of a Johnny Carson special.^[4]

Wow! This looks like some place on another planet!  Richat Structure of Mauritania. (Credit)

The Richat Structure, also known as the Eye of the Sahara and Guelb er Richat, is a prominent circular feature in the Sahara desert of west–central Mauritania near Ouadane. This structure is a deeply eroded, slightly elliptical, 40 km in diameter dome. The sedimentary rock exposed in this dome ranges in age from Late Proterozoic within the center of the dome to Ordovician sandstone around its edges. The sedimentary rocks comprising this structure dip outward at 10°–20°. Differential erosion of resistant layers of quartzite has created high-relief circular cuestas. Its center consists of a siliceous breccia covering an area that is at least 3 km in diameter.^[1][2][3]

This is just amazing! I had to stare at these trees for a time, they look surreal! Baobab Alley, Madagascar  (Credit)

The Avenue or Alley of the Baobabs is a prominent group of baobab trees lining the dirt road between Morondava and Belon’i Tsiribihina in the Menabe region in western Madagascar. Its striking landscape draws travelers from around the world, making it one of the most visited locations in the region. It has been a center of local conservation efforts, and was granted temporary protected status in July 2007 by the Ministry of Environment, Water and Forests, the first step toward making it Madagascar’s first natural monument.^[1]

This could evoke fear and awe! Retba Lake, Senegal (Credit)

Lake Retba or Lac Rose lies north of the Cap Vert peninsula of Senegal, north east of Dakar.,^[1] in northwest Africa.

It is so named for its pink waters, caused by Dunaliella salina algae in the water that produce a red pigment that uses sunlight to create more energy, turning the waters pink.^[2] The color is particularly visible during the dry season. The lake is also known for its high salt content, which, like that of the Dead Sea, allows people to float easily.^[1] The lake also has a small salt collecting industry and was often the finishing point of the Dakar Rally, before it moved to South America in 2009.^[3]

Many salt collectors work 6–7 hours a day in the lake, which has a salt content of up to 40% in some areas.^[2] In order to protect their skin, they rub their skin with “Beurre de Karité” (shea butter, produced from shea nuts obtained from the Shea nut tree), which is an emollient used to avoid tissue damage.^[1]

Lake Retba is under consideration by the World Heritage Committee for inclusion as a World Heritage Site.^[4]

For having such a sinister name, it sure is beautiful! Devil’s Punchbowl Falls, New Zealand (Credit)

Devils Punchbowl Falls is the tallest and most prominent waterfall feature in the Arthur’s Pass area. Towering at 131m, this snow-fed waterfall can be seen in a variety of ways. I was able to see the falls both from the base and from across the Arthur’s Pass Valley.

The volcanic rocks on the shore of Briar’s Island, Nova Scotia (Credit)

Brier Island is a rugged diamond in Nova Scotia’s crown, home to an industrious seafaring people, an amazing variety of flora and fauna, and some of the best sunsets you will ever see. The westernmost point in the province, this small basalt island sits where the cold waters of the Gulf of Maine and the Bay of Fundy meet, and offers a truly different pace of life for residents and visitors alike. The fishing boats still come and go as they have done for generations, the whales swim by as they have done since time immemorial, and the eternal tides rise and fall like clockwork.

This one looks very Medieval and scary. Like doom is wating around the corner. Tasman Island, Tasmania (Credit)

Tasman Island is an oval island, with an area of 1.2 km², in south-eastern Australia. It is part of the Tasman Island Group, lying close to the south-eastern coast of Tasmania around the Tasman Peninsula, and is in the Tasman National Park. It is a plateau surrounded by steep dolerite cliffs, with its highest point 300 m asl and an average plateau height of 280 m asl. It is the site of the Tasman Island Lighthouse and weather station, which has been automated since 1976 and unmanned since 1977.^[1][2]